When we examine the way many workers are treated by some foreign corporations in Mariposa County, in the heart of our commons, in our rich Yosemite-Gold Country tourist destination, we need to ask, Who is our neighbor?

In other words, to whom do we as a community owe our love and allegiance?

Is our neighbor the young person who grew up here, attended local schools, may even have served in our military, and is now working for minimum wages? Is it that single mom or dad whose wages are so low they have to take two jobs and receive food stamps to feed their kids? Or are our neighbors, Burger King, Subway, Rite Aid or Delaware North, four foreign corporations operating in Mariposa?

I say our local people are my neighbors and I stand with them. And I'm hoping you will stand with them, too. I'm sure you believe as I do that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules should earn a living wage. Thousands of our neighbors do work hard and play by the rules but don't earn a living wage. So, we’re here to say,

We Are ALL Mariposa

Our economy is a mess, Washington is clueless, and the greed of corporations forcing the wages and benefits of its workers to the bottom is destroying wages and lives all over America. But here in Mariposa, one of the planet’s most attractive tourist destinations, we don’t have to submit to their rules.

By taking care of each other, especially our workers, we can create the kind of community we all want to live in and one that can show others how caring for ALL our neighbors changes everything! After all, we are “can do” mountain people and it's all really quite simple: